Automatic ice-cream machine

ABSTRACT

The helical blade stirrer of an automatic ice-cream machine is as is customary located for rotation in the refrigerating can to be tangential thereto so as to scrape the side of the can. To accommodate deformation of points on the side of the can without permanent re-location of the helical blade the bearing for the end of the blade shaft which is located in the can is arranged to float radially in its housing and is maintained in the housing by resilient annular means such as rubber rings interposed between the housing and the periphery of the bearing.

I United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,767,169

Carpigiani Oct. 23, 1973 AUTOMATIC ICE-CREAM MACHINE 3,188,677 6/1965Jamison 15 2465 2,114,670 4 1938 S l 308 26 [76] Invent: Anmla Emma,2,127,777 aims 259is5 Bologna, Italy [22] Filed; Jan. 18, 1972 PrimaryExamineri-larvey C. Hornsby Assistant ExaminerPhilip R. Coe [21] Appl'21880l Attorney-Edwin E. Greigg [30] Foreign Application Priority Data[57] ABSTRACT Jan. 26, 197! Italy l2452 A/7l The helical blade stirrerof an automatic ice-cream machine is as is customary located forrotation in the [52] U.S. Cl. 259/85, l5/246.5, 259/DlG. l6,refrigerating can to be tangential thereto so as to 259/DIG. 34, 308/26,308/184 R scrape the side of the can. To accommodate deforma- [51] Int.Cl. B0lf 9/10 tion of points on the side of the can without perma- [58]Field of Search 259/16, 33, 49, 51, nent re-location of the helicalblade the bearing for 259/58, 85, DIG. l6, DIG. 34; 308/184 R, the endof the blade shaft which is located in the can 26; 15/l04.1 C, 246.5 isarranged to float radially in its housing and is main- K tained in thehousing by resilient annular means such [56] References Cited as rubberrings interposed between the housing and UNITED STATES PATENTS the p p yof the bearing- 2,5l9,543 8/1950 Carpigiani ...'259/85 6 Claims, 2Drawing Figures AUTOMATIC ICE-CREAM MACHINE.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to automatic icecream machines and in particular to an automaticice creammaking machine of the kind in which an ice-cream mixture iscontained in a rotatable refrigerated can provided with a rotatablehelical blade arranged to exert a mixing action on the ice-cream mixturetangentially to the wall of the revolving can.

2. Description of the Prior Art.

In machines of the above kind the rotating helical blade, in order toobtain a goodmixing action, is required to scrape the can wall. To thisend, the end of the shaft carrying the helical blade and which islocated in the can is usually supported by a ball bearing seated in ahousing formed in a mounting member which is eccentrically arranged withrespect to the shaft axis, so that by rotation of the mounting memberrelative to a stationary support therefor an accurate location of thehelical blade relative to the can can be obtained.

However it sometimes happens that the can may become deformed duringoperation of the machine so that the rotating helical blade violentlystrikes against the deformed points of the can. To prevent such actionit has hitherto been necessary to adjust the position of the bladerelative to the can by shifting the blade slightly away from its idealtangential position with re.-'

spect to the can. It is a main object of the invention to meet thisdisadvantage by so mounting the bearing for the end of the shaft whichextends into the can so as to accommodate for irregularities in thecylindrical form of the can without effecting a permanent re-positioningof the blade relative to the can.

SUMMARY According to the invention the bearing for the end of thehelical blade carrying shaft which extends into the refrigerating can isso located in a housing in a mounting member therefor that it is free tomove radially relative to the housing and resilient means is locatedbetween the housing and the periphery of the bearing to maintain thehelical blade in scraping relation with the can wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of anautomatic icecream machine, the can of the machine being shown partly insection, and

FIG. 2 is a section illustrating a bearing for the lower end of a shaftcarrying a helical blade forming a part of the automatic ice-creammachine shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The helical blade 4 is rotatedtangentially with respect to the inside wall of the can 1 so that duringevery turn thereof the blade 4 thoroughly scrapes ice-cream adhering tothe inside wall of the can.

To permit accurate adjustment of the position of the blade 4 relative tothe can 1, the end of the shaft 3 which extends into the can 1 issupported by a mounting member 5 which is accommodated in a cylindricalrecess formed in a base plate 6 and whose axis is eccentric to the axisof shaft 3. Thus by angularly adjusting the mounting member 5 in therecess, the helical blade 6 can be moved towards or away from the innerwall of the can 1.

The mounting member 5 forms a housing which seats a ball bearing 7 (FIG.2) which supports the lower end of the shaft 3. Adjustment of theposition of the blade relative to the can in the manner just describedis adequate while the can 1 remains truly cylindrical throughout itslength. However, it happens that sometimes the can may become deformedat some points. Should this occur then during the operation of themachine the blade 4 will violently strike such deformed points.

This inconvenience has hitherto been accommodated by so positioning thehelical blade so as to prevent the blade from contacting the deformedpoints. This however entails the necessity of drawing the helical bladeaway from the tangent with the can wall and this results in the can wallbeing no longer thoroughly scraped. This constitutes a disadvantagebecause it has a detrimental effect on the quality of the ice-creambeing produced, due to the fact that the ice-cream which remainsadherent to the can walls tends to produce ice crystals which are thenfound in the final (ice-cream) product.

According to the present invention, this disadvantage is removed or atleast considerably reduced by providing a resilient member between theouter race of the ball bearing 7 and the housing in the mounting member5 in which the bearing 7 is seated.

The resilient member is made in a manner such as to allow a lateralmovement, of the order of about 1 millimeter, of the bearing 7, that ismovement radially of the housing in the mounting member 5.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, the mounting member 5 is, as statedabove, provided with a circular recess in which the ball bearing 7 isseated. The recess has a diameter greater than that of the ball bearing7 and is divided into two annular grooves by an annular rib 8 whoseinternal diameter is slightly greater than the outer diameter of theball bearing 7. The grooves formed by the rib 8 are fitted with rings 9and 10 of circular cross-section and made of soft rubber or similarresilient material which retain the bearing 7 in its seating byresilient pressure exerted on the bearing. If desired more than tworings may be used the grooves therefor being provided by appropriatelydisposed annular ribs similar to rib 8.

When an abnormal radial stress is exerted upon the helical blade 4, duefor example to any eccentricity of the can, both resilient rings 9 and10 are compressed, so that a lateral movement of the bearing 7, andtherefore of the helical blade 4, is effected, while the pressureexerted by the rings 9 and 10 on the bearing 7 is sufficient to assure acorrect scraping of the can by the blade 4. Thus the helical blade iscontinuously maintained in contact with the can walls, even at eccentricpoints thereof.

If desired, a resilient sleeve or like member, for example a rubbersleeve, may be provided instead of the rings 9, 10.

1 claim:

1. In an automatic ice-cream machine including a rotatable can and arotatable shaft one end of which extends into the can and carries a canwall-scraping helical blade, and a mounting for said one end of thehelical blade shaft, the improvement wherein said mounting comprises amounting member carried by a fixed part of the machine, a bearing seatedin a housing formed in the mounting member and arranged to be movable ina radial direction relative to its seating, and resilient meansinterposed between the housing and the outer periphery of the bearing tomaintainv the helical blade in scraping relation with the can wall.

2. A mounting according to claim 1, wherein the resilient meanscomprises a rubber sleeve.

3. A mounting according to claim 1, wherein the resilient meanscomprises at least two rings of circular cross-section made of softrubber or similar resilient material.

4. A mounting according to claim 3, wherein the housing includes atleast one radially inwardly directed annular rib forming annular groovesin which the rings are located.

5. A mounting according to claim 4, wherein the nature of the resilientmeans is such as to permit radial movements of the bearing of the orderof l millimeter.

6. A mounting according to claim 1, wherein the nature of the resilientmeans is such as to permit radial movements of the bearing of the orderof l millimeter. k t

1. In an automatic ice-cream machine including a rotatable can and arotatable shaft one end of which extends into the can and carries a canwall-scraping helical blade, and a mounting for said one end of thehelical blade shaft, the improvement wherein said mounting Comprises amounting member carried by a fixed part of the machine, a bearing seatedin a housing formed in the mounting member and arranged to be movable ina radial direction relative to its seating, and resilient meansinterposed between the housing and the outer periphery of the bearing tomaintain the helical blade in scraping relation with the can wall.
 2. Amounting according to claim 1, wherein the resilient means comprises arubber sleeve.
 3. A mounting according to claim 1, wherein the resilientmeans comprises at least two rings of circular cross-section made ofsoft rubber or similar resilient material.
 4. A mounting according toclaim 3, wherein the housing includes at least one radially inwardlydirected annular rib forming annular grooves in which the rings arelocated.
 5. A mounting according to claim 4, wherein the nature of theresilient means is such as to permit radial movements of the bearing ofthe order of 1 millimeter.
 6. A mounting according to claim 1, whereinthe nature of the resilient means is such as to permit radial movementsof the bearing of the order of 1 millimeter.